Light in Stripes
by aoi-himesama
Summary: After a fire, Miheal is left orphaned with half his face scarred. That and his bad temper keep everybody away and he was perfectly fine with that. Except, he is suddenly roommates with a red-head who doesn't seem to be scared. Why? 'Cause Matt's blind.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:** After a fire, Miheal Keehl is left orphaned with half his face scarred. That and his bad temper keep everybody away and he was perfectly fine with that. But what will he do when he is suddenly roommates with a red-head who doesn't seem the least bit scared? Why? 'Cause Matt's blind, that's why.

**Disclaimer:** _I own **nothing** but the plot._

**Warnings:** _Well, mild or excessive cussing, I guess since we're dealing with Mello here. And some shounen ai here in the future. Keeping the rating at T for the mean time, but may change. AU from the series and sometimes I make them OOC, sorry for that. But since everything here is different from the series, I have an excuse. XD_

_Reviews and criticisms are greatly appreciated. Enjoy._

* * *

**Light in Stripes**

* * *

After a tragic fire, Miheal Keehl was left orphaned with half his face and a good portion of his body charred. The incident claimed his parents and his younger sister.

He was fourteen at the time, and with only two years before he was legal enough to live on his own, he was taken in by Roger Ruvie, an old family friend, one of the few the Keehls had kept.

Roger Ruvie owned an apartment complex and had given the boy one of the two-bedroom apartments he had. He knew the boy wanted privacy.

He had not let Miheal pay for his rent originally, since the old man knew the boy had barely an idea how to fend for himself. Miheal was stubborn but Roger had insisted, so they came upon an agreement.

Miheal had no distant relatives since his parents were both the only child in their respective families. So being the legal guardian of Miheal, Roger had agreed to let him pay for his rent only after the legal age and after he had a secure source of income.

Roger had originally planned for Miheal to continue his schooling, but the boy insisted that he could manage without school and that there was the nearby library if he ever needed the intellectual stimulant.

For the two years, Miheal made it through with some help from Roger. The old man had taught him the ways to living on your own, but most of what Miheal knew, he got from own experience. He had worked odd jobs at first, those that had not much muscle work needed. The Keehls were from the upper middle class of the society so the boy had been well cared for and had no experience whatsoever on how to work.

Roger taught him what he knew and had trained him on some occasions.

For two years, Miheal had been a waiter, janitor, tutor, salesperson, cashier and a lot of other mundane jobs that had enough pay for him to save a little and to not rely on Roger for food. Some could say he had a rough childhood, barely getting by and all.

Miheal was not the friendly type, especially after the incident. He had been a bit anti-social due to what the fire did to him. The scars were a constant reminder of what he had lost and what he had never come to attain. His personality had changed for the worst, Roger noted as the man continued to care for the boy from a distance; he knew Miheal didn't want pity.

A scarred face coupled with a very bad temper was what made Miheal Keehl almost unapproachable to most people and barely tolerable by Roger.

It was such a pity, really, to have such a great mind be ruined by a trifle thing as fire. But when you had lost everything, you would not be so different from the boy and perhaps, you could understand him and his ways.

Two years had passed and Miheal Keehl had formed some kind of pattern in his daily living. Waking up, going to work or finding one, going home, a visit to Roger or going straight home to clean up and lollygag. Some days, he even had time to watch T.V. or listen to the radio, most of his free time, though, he preferred to write.

Who would have expected that his comfortable routine would be broken by a carefree red-head who had little to no idea of how to live in the real world?

Miheal Keehl hated being bothered so he immediately lashed out as soon as the lanky built red-head collided with him on his way to his apartment.

"The fuck! Watch where you're going, bastard!" He glared at whoever had bumped into him. His azure eyes staring straight to the red-head's own dull blue ones.

The red-head smiled sheepishly at him, his eyes roaming a general direction where he thought the voice was coming from. "Sorry, dude. I would if I could, though."

Miheal's eyes narrowed, if his scarred face and temper didn't shove people scrambling away from him, his glare did. So he was more than a bit surprised when the teenager hadn't gone running yet. There was something in the other boy's eyes. That was when it struck him.

"Oh," he said, realizing what the boy had meant. The boy was _blind_. Miheal almost felt sorry, but he wasn't about to turn soft just because of some unseeing kid. "Nevermind," he muttered, his voice biting. He was about to turn when the red-head called to him.

"Um, hey, do you mind helping me a bit?"

Miheal rolled his eyes. Normally, he would just keep his head down, but since the boy couldn't see him, he didn't mind. "What?" He said impatiently.

The other teenager grinned. "Great, thanks. Do you know where apartment 108 is?"

Miheal's eyes narrowed, that was his apartment. "Yeah, that's my apartment. Why?"

"Oh, you must be Miheal then. I'm Mail, er Matt. Matt Jeevas. I'm going to be your roommate." Matt smiled, such luck bumping into his roommate. Now he didn't need to worry about getting lost while Nate settled things with the caretaker. He extended his hands.


	2. Chapter 2

Summary: After a fire, Miheal is left orphaned with half his face scarred. That and his bad temper keep everybody away and he was perfectly fine with that. But what will he do when he is suddenly roommates with a red-head who doesn't seem the least bit scared? Why? 'Cause Matt's blind, that's why.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

Warnings: Mild or excessive cussing, I guess, since we're dealing with Mello here. And some shounen ai in the future. Keeping the rating at T for the mean time, but may change.

Reviews and criticisms are greatly appreciated. Oh, and I'm going to get them a bit OOC here. Enjoy.

* * *

"What do you mean roommate? I live alone," The blonde said ignoring the hand which Matt retracted after a few moments.

"Not anymore, you don't," came Roger's voice. "I see you met Matt."

"What is the meaning of this?" Miheal snapped.

"Matt here, is to live with you."

"You can't be serious," the blonde replied, his voice rising a bit.

"Afraid I am. You need help with the rent, correct? And since you didn't want me giving it to you for free, I got you a roommate."

"No," Miheal said stubbornly. Roger knew he was touchy with people. He had been used to living alone.

"Yes, Miheal, unless you want me to give you the apartment for free, you will be rooming with Matt. And privacy isn't a problem; the unit is a two-bedroom. It's large enough for the two of you."

"Matt?" An albino called and all three men looked at Nate.

"Here," Matt said and Nate moved toward him, placing his right hand in Matt's left shoulder. "I met my roommate," he added, acting oblivious to the conversation between Miheal and Roger a while ago. Matt knew he wasn't a welcome roommate but he didn't want to add to Nate's worry.

"Miheal, this is my friend, Nate. He's only helping me settle down so he isn't going to be here for a long time. He might visit every now and then though. I hope that isn't a problem."

Miheal and Roger had a small glare contest before the boy relented.

"Whatever," he said.

Roger gave a sigh of relief when Miheal finally agreed, albeit forced. He knew having Matt as his charge's roommate would be a good social exercise. He knew Miheal had difficulty dealing with people because of his scar and Matt's shrug-ish personality would be a good match, not to mention the boy's inability to see what Miheal wanted hidden.

"Miheal, lead Matt to the place. I'll be helping Nate here carry his things."

Miheal grunted in annoyance but nodded. "Fine." He watched the albino and the old man walk away to get the things before speaking again to Matt. "Do you need me to um…"

"Oh no," Matt responded immediately, realizing that his roommate was probably feeling a little awkward about how to lead him to the apartment. "Just talk and lead me there. I'll just follow your voice and footsteps. Keen hearing, you see." Matt grinned.

Miheal sighed inwardly, he didn't particularly want to touch people right now. But he didn't know what to talk about. He wasn't the best at striking a conversation. "So, the rent?" He started as he began walking, looking back at Matt to see if he was following. The red-head, it seems, has no problem following his lead.

"Yeah, I think we'll have to split. Money's not a real issue with me. Nate is helping me pay."

"Okay. We need to split the monthly water and electric bills, too. Um," Miheal scratched the back of his neck, at a loss of what to say.

Matt noticed the hesitation and chuckled. "You're not really good at small talk."

"So nice of you to point that out." Miheal responded sarcastically. "Turn right."

"Well, I can help you with that. I can be a good conversationalist." He grinned again.

Miheal was a bit annoyed at the fact that the boy could grin so much at a short period of time. "I don't need your help."

"You gotta need to know how to converse properly someday, right?" Matt smiled again, tapping his cane in a rhythmic manner to make sure he won't run into any walls. He doubted Miheal could prevent that from happening.

"I can converse properly, thank you very much," Somehow, Miheal never ran out of his sarcastic tone, Matt noted.

They walked on silently after that; their footsteps and Matt's cane's tapping the only sound. Matt didn't feel as awkward as Miheal was since he was mapping out the place and keeping track on how many steps there was until their room. After 36 paces starting from the right turn, Miheal said that their door was here. Matt waited as the other opened the door.

Matt heard a jingle of keys and the door's lock undoing with a click. He felt a rush of air as the door swung open. He could smell the aroma of chocolates and an eyebrow rose in question. "Chocolates?"

"Particularly fond of them," Miheal muttered removing his jacket and draped it in a chair. He moved to the unused door at the left wall of the living room and opened it with the key. His room was on the right side, the doors adjacent to each other. "Couch right ahead."

Matt found the couch by feel and waited as he heard a jiggle of keys again. He guessed Miheal was opening the other bedroom. He tilted his head to the general direction where he thought Miheal went.

"Okay," Miheal took a deep breath; he knew he had to at least describe the place for Matt. "From entering the door, you enter the living room. You found the couch, it's not much but it's comfortable to sit on. It can sit three people. It faces the T.V. I bought five months after I moved in here. Between the T.V. and the couch, there's a rectangular coffee table, I have some…stuff in it. I'll clean it up later. The entrance to the kitchen is to the right a few feet from the door to my room. I have a stove, a small fridge, and oven, I like to bake. I have a blender and microwave too, but I don't use it much, I hate re-heating. I have a toaster and most of the other kitchen utensils. There are two bedrooms, mine on the right side, yours is on the left. The doors are adjacent to each other and are directly in line with the T.V., I'm opening your bedroom now. I used it as storage for some of my stuff; I'll get them out."

Matt noticed Miheal's voice sounded like it was bored and annoyed, but he didn't comment. He couldn't do much yet, even if Miheal described the place for him, he still wanted to map the place out by himself.

He stood by the couch to wait for Nate and Roger for his things and listened as Miheal moved about in his soon-to-be room.

"Matt?" Nate called peeking from three boxes balanced on his arms to see Matt's head turn to his direction.

"Yeah? Need help?"

"No, thank you. We're good. Where's your room?"

"Left door. Miheal's inside, cleaning up stuff."

Nate moved toward the said door and nodded when Miheal looked up from where he was chocolate boxes, wrappers and some tools. "Where can I place these?"

Miheal glanced around from his place in the floor, separating things that still have uses from those that should be thrown away. "Anywhere would do."

Nate placed the boxes down inside the room a few paces from the door and looked around. There were only a few random stuff in the room and it was a bit dusty. An unused bed frame lay forgotten beside one of the medium sized windows overlooking the compound garden. Miheal's apartment had the most appealing view of the compound garden, Nate noted, not that it could be of any use to Matt. Well, at least his friend would have access to fresh air if he opened the windows.

He placed a hand on his neck before moving to inspect the windows. He tried to open them. The windows were creaky but they opened on his third heave. A bit of oil could fix it. He heard Roger calling Miheal.

"I'm in here," the boy answered. Roger placed the boxes he carried beside the ones Nate brought. Nate nodded to Roger before going out of the room to get more of Matt's things.

Before going out, Nate approached Matt and got the modified PSP and earphones in the red head's sling bag and placed them on Matt's hands. "Here, we could be a while. Go sit."

"Okay, thanks," Matt nodded and felt his way to sit in the couch. He placed the earphones on and turned the PSP on. The gadget was modified to 'narrate' when he pressed any buttons, kind of like how speaking computers work. The games were also re-programmed to be blind-friendly. Matt took pride in them; he was the one who tweaked everything after all, with the occasional help of Nate, of course.

He pressed a few buttons to continue his Hexyz Force game while waiting for the others to finish.

* * *

"Miheal, I know you are upset–"

"Save it, Roger," Miheal cut him off, he was almost done with sorting the stuff in the room. He got out wanting to search for some of the boxes he saved for cleaning up reasons.

Roger shook his head and went to help Nate unload some of the boxes. He knew the boy would thank him for this sooner or later.

Miheal went to the kitchen and took out two boxes from the drawer under the sink. He was about to enter Matt's room when he noticed the boy holding a…PSP?

Miheal walked closer to the boy to confirm what he saw and sure enough, it _was_ a PSP.

* * *

Matt heard Miheal come closer to him. _He must have seen me with a PSP_. Matt smiled at the thought.

"Like it?" Matt asked when he felt Miheal's breath fan his right ear indicating he was looking over the couch.

"How?" Miheal asked, disbelieving.

"I re-programmed the PSP and the games. It now works much like a speaking computer. It narrates stuff so I don't need to read them. Here, watch." Matt handed one of the earphones to Miheal.

Miheal hesitantly took the earphone and placed it on his ear. Matt pushed the x button and the 'voice' said "Holy Krauvando. Aspect: Crimson Lotus. Attack: 24. Skill: Cut. RP Required: 1."

Matt pressed the down button and the voice said "Holy Krauvando. Aspect: Crimson Lotus. Attack: 24. Skill: Gust trust. RP required: 10."

"Cool huh?" The red-head said a tad smugly, grin flashing.

Miheal rolled his eyes. Smug brat. "Whatever," he muttered before going back to the unused room to pack his stuff.

_Hmm, must be disbelieving_, Matt mused when he heard Miheal retreating. Oh well, he guessed he would have to prove his skills again. He returned playing his game.

* * *

After Miheal took all of his things from the spare bedroom, he went on to throw those that needed to be thrown. He then looked for new places to put those that can still be useful, i.e. the unused drawers in the kitchen. Although these could take no more than a few minutes, Miheal purposely kept rearranging things. This was mostly because he didn't want to be involved anymore on his roommate's stuff.

When he couldn't stall anymore, he told Roger and the newcomers he was going out for grocery.

Nate had picked up somewhat on the blonde's intentions and happily let him be his way. Nate would have asked Roger to leave him with the arrangements but he doubted he could move the bigger of the furniture alone and he didn't want to ask for Matt's help either. The room was already clean enough with just a sweep of a broom and perhaps the few cobwebs on the corners of the room.

Nate started cleaning while he asked Roger to help unpack some of the things in the boxes like some books in Braille and some of his computer equipment.

After cleaning, Nate and Roger proceeded to arrange the furniture. He had the bed frame move a few paces from the window where the sunlight pouring from it in the morning could wake Matt up and give him an indication of the time. He had bedside tables placed on both sides of the bed, a speaking clock in the left and his laptop in the right, just like in Matt's previous dwelling with only the absence of the picture frame containing Matt and his parents on the left table.

Nate had patterned the new room to Matt's previous dwelling so as to make it easier for his friend to adjust.

It had taken hours before room was finally dust free and set for Matt to move in to since they only brought few of his things along. Nate got out of the room and graciously thanked Roger for his help.

"No problem. I'm just in apartment 101 if you ever need help," the old man smiled and went back to his unit.

"You're done?" Matt asked, saving his game and turning it off to face Nate's general direction.

"Yeah. You can go in and familiarize yourself to the room now."

"I can't thank you enough. You know how much this means to me." Matt said a genuine smile in his lips.

Nate shrugged in response even though Matt didn't see it. The red-head did know that Nate would definitely do this again, even under worse circumstances. He knew what Matt had been through. It wasn't the least bit easy.

"That's what friends do, right? Don't mention it."

Matt nodded. "One more thing, man. I hate to ask this from you, but would you promise me something?"

Nate looked at him hard, he had an inkling feeling fo what this might be about. "What is it?" he asked, voice clipped and controlled.

"Don't go visiting me until I tell you to?" Matt knew his friend was going to protest right away so he persuaded him more, not giving him time to reply. "I know you're worried, Nate. And I'm sure you know I don't want you to. I mean, ever since I became… you know, I've always been leaning on others. On you, most of the time. I don't want to be a burden, man. You've let me go this far. One little step wouldn't hurt."

Nate was silent. He was arguing with himself. He knew where both sides come from, as he always did. Sometimes, understanding two sides of an argument was a pain in the ass.

On one side, he knew he couldn't let Matt live on his own. Well, not really on his own, with Miheal as his roommate. On the other side, he knew it wouldn't also do well for Matt to be always dependent on someone. Sooner or later, there would be a time when Nate will not be there to help Matt. It was a good time to let him be on his own for the time being.

Nate sighed before he spoke. "Okay, fine. But you know you can't keep me away for a long time. Two months without me and that's it. After that, I'll go visit whenever I want. Don't worry, I'll make sure I call before coming."

Matt released the breath he was holding and his lips broke into a full grin. "Thanks man. You're the greatest."

After a few reminders for Matt, Nate said his goodbyes and left the apartment compound. He passed Roger on his way out and said his goodbyes to him along with his phone number in case Matt had trouble and was not contacting him. The old man laughed it away and said that Miheal would take care of thing for Matt.

"He doesn't look like much but he has a good heart," Roger had said. Nate nodded and went on his way after thanking the old man, hoping that, for the good of all things, Roger was telling the truth.


End file.
